EBay Pulls Drug Auction

In hopes a procuring a defense against a possible bird flu pandemic, a rash of eBayers drove up the price of Roche Holding AG’s influenza drug, Tamiflu, to more than 100 pounds ($174) for a 10-capsule treatment.

Once alerted to the situation, eBay yanked the sale off of its site. An eBay spokeswoman told Reuters that the auction was unplugged because the sale of prescription drugs was not permitted on eBay.

The average cost of Tamiflu is 25-30 pounds per treatment, a price Roche says should only be paid to legitimate pharmacies after doctor recommendations. Buying medication over the Internet, the company warns, gives no guarantee that the medication isn’t counterfeit.